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Chapter 64: One Who Worships God (5)
Chapter 64: One Who Worships God (5)
Chapter 64: One Who Worships God (5)
Lizardmen thoroughly searched the wetlands(swamps) and discovered plants that appeared to be papyrus. Indeed, when you give lizardmen a task, they do it well.
[Almighty Creator Dragon God! Is this the plant you asked us to find?]
"Un. It is correct... but it seems like you've harvested too much. Surely you didn't cut down all of them, did you?!"
[Ah... should we have left some behind?]
The problem is that you work too hard!!!
A mountain of papyrus. The amount they had cut down was enough to create a small hill in the wide clearing.
"Alright, the wetlands are vast, so you'll find more if you search. But from now on, don't cut them all down. Harvest moderately, and consider planting the seeds to cultivate papyrus."
[Yes, we're sorry. This is the first time the Creator Dragon God has directly assigned us a task, so everyone got a bit too enthusiastic.]
It's good to be passionate about work, but not to this extreme.
Well then... let me teach you how to make papyrus."First, cut them to an appropriate length and peel off the outer skin."
[What would be an appropriate length?]
Hmm, what length would be good? Around 25cm should be sufficient.
Since the lizardmen's hands are a bit larger than human hands, a palm's width would be around 25cm.
"Around 25cm should do."
[25cm is about the length of a palm.]
Ah, it was a good idea to teach them the metric system. Barbaric units like yards and pounds don't exist in this world!
Such arbitrary units have no place here!
Whether I have such firm opinions or not, the chief lizardman cut the papyrus with an obsidian dagger and spoke to me.
[We have cut and peeled the skin.]
"Good. Now thinly slice the soft inner part of the stem."
[Thinly, you say?]
"Yes, like slicing fish fillets."
The chief then carefully sliced the inner part of the papyrus.
[I have finished slicing.]
"Now, place the sliced inner parts on a flat wooden board and pound them with a wooden mallet or roll them with a cylindrical object to flatten them further."
[Wouldn't it be fine to just press them with our palms?]
"I suppose... hmm, the sturdy palms of the lizardmen might work. Go ahead and try making one as a demonstration."
The chief then pressed the thinly sliced papyrus inner parts with his palms, and the fibers seemed to break down, making the papyrus soft and pliable.
This works with just bare hands. Normally, you'd have to pound them with a wooden mallet or roll them with a roller.
Well, it's simpler this way, so it's better.
"Now, soak them in clean water for about 7 days."
[That's quite a time.]
"It's to extract the sugars within the inner parts. By the way, you can eat the inner parts raw or roasted."
At my words, the chief cut off a piece of the papyrus inner part and put it in his mouth.
[You're right, it has a subtle sweetness and tastes quite good.]
"Don't eat too much of it."
We need to save some to make papyrus paper, after all.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
One week later.
"Shall we take them out now?"
[Ah, yes. A week has already passed. I got caught up in other work and couldn't pay much attention to it.]
"Seems you've been quite busy."
At my words, the chief laughed ruefully.
[The chief oversees negotiations with outsiders and coordinates opinions among the tribes, while the high priest focuses on hunting, warfare, and martial arts training. So tasks like communing with spirits and blessing newborns all fall to me.]
I see, he's also swamped with work, poor thing.
I'm in a similar situation.
"Now, take the soaked inner parts of the papyrus and lay them horizontally and vertically, crossing each other, on a clean leather or cloth."
The chief then spread out the clean leather and began layering the thin, soaked inner parts, crossing them over each other.
[It's like weaving cloth, just a bit wider.]
"That's the general idea. Anyway, once you've covered the surface densely, place another clean leather on top and press it down heavily for 7 days to dry it."
[Another 7 days? That makes it 14 days total.]
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"It's not an easy thing to make."
After another 7 days passed.
[We have completed it! Oh Creator Dragon God!]
"Ooh, it has a rather nice appearance."
And so the first papyrus paper was created.
[It's thin and light, very fascinating. It's quite different from cloth.]
"Un. Now, teach the other Lizardmen to make the same thing. Use this to make long scrolls and have them write on it. This papyrus paper will be a valuable thing for you."
[Can we now write on this instead of stone tablets?]
"If that is what you wish, then do so."
Even if I said that, logically, if given the choice between stone tablets and paper, one would choose paper.
It's light, easy to carry around, and full of conveniences. Incomparable to stone tablets. Incomparable.
Was that just my delusion?
Even after the invention of papyrus paper, the Lizardmen still preferred to write on stone tablets.
But why... why stone tablets...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And so the papyrus paper, which became the specialty product of the Lizardmen, quickly spread throughout the world.
The thin, lightweight papyrus paper, much cheaper than parchment, had a value that could greatly overturn the world.
Clay tablets were heavy and could not be used much, while parchment was expensive as it required tearing the skin of sheep.
In the East, bamboo slips were in vogue, and since they were far from the territory of the Lizardmen, only a small amount flowed in, but their convenience could not be ignored, as some noble figures like the king used them.
Anyway, that's how papyrus paper spread throughout the world.
By the way, the Elves are excluded. They were horrified when they saw the papyrus.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Is this something that can replace clay tablets?]
"Yes, it's called papyrus paper. It's thin, lightweight, and suitable for writing on. Write on it."
[Oh Mother of Life. How do I write on this?]
The priest, who had received the set of papyrus scrolls sent by me through the disguised dragon, was perplexed as he looked at the papyrus scroll.
Hmm, since they've only been writing on clay tablets, they don't know about ink.
"Look at the things that came with the papyrus paper."
[A small stick and a small leather pouch. Is the contents liquid?]
"Don't drink the contents. It's for writing on the papyrus paper. Bring a small clay vessel and pour a little of the liquid from the pouch."
The priest did as I instructed, and a black liquid came out of the pouch, filling the small clay vessel.
[Black water? What is this?]
"That is ink, for writing."
Having the Lizardmen make the paper was good, but they also need ink to write with.
The ink was made by mixing the charred bark of the papyrus plant and glue made from fish bladders, then adding water to create the right viscosity.
Hmm, it's fortunate that the Lizardmen are using fish bladder glue. When I asked if they had something suitably, the alchemist told me about it.
To think they invented making glue from dried fish bladders without me telling them. How impressive!
The downside is that the fish bladder glue doesn't yield much, so the price is a bit high. But that's understandable for a prototype ink.
After all, I just passed on the papyrus paper scrolls and ink sets to the Lizardmen.
"Now, dip the small stick into the black liquid and try writing on it."
[Hmm? Oh, oh uoohhh... How fascinating. Unlike the clay tablets that require pressing hard, I can just lightly skim over it and the letters appear.]
Well, since you just need to dip the stick in ink, unlike the clay tablets where you have to carve the letters deeply.
But the downside is that there's no pen nib, so you have to dip the stick in ink frequently.
[Shall I write here then?]
"Yes, that's right. By writing and conveying that writing to others, knowledge can be transmitted without having to speak it out loud.
Well, there are still some issues, such as papyrus paper needing to spread more throughout the world, or needing a bit more affordable ink.
But those problems can be solved gradually. We can take it step by step.
We've just taken the first step, and if we try to sprint from the start, won't we end up rolling backwards?
Let's go slowly. Slowly and calmly.
[So what should I write about?]"
In response to the priest's words, I paused for a moment and then opened my mouth.
"Let's start by writing about the Afterlife."